The Golden State Warriors are undefeated in the Jimmy Butler era, and it seems that a strategy is emerging: a second-half takeover. After turning a 24-point third-quarter deficit into a 21-point win on Saturday against the Chicago Bulls, the Warriors once again turned on the third and fourth-quarter burners en route to a 125-111 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night.
It started with — what else — a new starting lineup. Steve Kerr has been open that Draymond Green will play more center with Butler in the fold, and that began on Monday, with Green the starting five alongside Butler, Moses Moody, Buddy Hield, and Steph Curry.
Unlike in Chicago, the Warriors never fell behind big, but they took their sweet time getting going. The Dubs played good defense out of the gates, but the Bucks, led by Damian Lillard and new acquisition Kyle Kuzma (and missing Giannis Antetokounmpo), were making difficult shots, and piling in the points early. It was a high-octane quarter for both teams, until Curry and Lillard went to the bench. That slowed things to a screeching halt, and the grind-fest resulted in a 29-27 lead after one.
